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Young Ghanaians inspired by Kofi Annan

The state funeral of former UN chief Kofi Annan drew world leaders and royalty to his native Ghana, where young people especially are inspired by the distinguished diplomat who put their country on the world map.

Kofi Atta Annan was born one of twins into a prominent family in Ghana's second-biggest city of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region in 1938. His father was governor of Ashanti province under British colonial rule. He attended top schools in Ghana, the US and Switzerland.

DW spoke to young people across the West African country who say they feel encouraged by Annan's legacy despite the incredible hardship and obstacles to success that some of them face.

"You know our situation - we have financial difficulties and all that - so sometimes, growing up, you depend on your parents a lot, said Daniel Nkansah Ampapeng, a 26-year-old student from the Ashanti Region.

"Growing up in Ghana, you cannot survive on what your parents give you."

"He is an inspiration to a lot of people. Looking at where he came from and where he landed, that is my inspiration, actually," Afi Antonio, a 28-year-old fashion enthusiast from the Volta Region along the border with Togo, told DW.

The battles of Kofi Annan

Rising star of the United Nations

Anan was born into a noted Ghanaian family in 1938 and studied in Switzerland and the US. He joined the United Nations when he was 24 years old. By 1993, he was appointed the chief of its peacekeeping operations. One of his first challenges was the crisis in Somalia, in which clashes between US forces backed by the UN and Somali militiamen claimed lives of 18 American soldiers.

The battles of Kofi Annan

Defeats in Bosnia and Rwanda

The UN's peacekeeping forces failed to stop the mid-1990s genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia. The botched missions molded Annan, "creating a new understanding of the legitimacy, and necessity, of intervention in the face of gross violations of human rights," he wrote in his 2012 autobiography.

The battles of Kofi Annan

Backed by the US

By 1996 the US was set on removing then-UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who had repeatedly bumped heads with Washington. Annan, on the other hand, while momentarily standing in for an unreachable Boutros-Ghali, allowed a US-led intervention in Bosnia to begin. The US eventually vetoed Boutros-Ghali's bid for a second term, opening the way for Annan to claim the post in 1997.

The battles of Kofi Annan

Nobel Peace Prize winner

In 2001, the Nobel Peace Prize Committee awarded the honor to the UN and its leader Kofi Annan, praising Annan for revitalizing UN and fighting for human rights. "I do not stand here alone," Annan said in his acceptance speech. He thanked the committee on behalf of his UN colleagues "who have devoted their lives — and in many instances risked or given their lives in the cause of peace."

The battles of Kofi Annan

A row with Washington

The US invaded Iraq in 2003, bypassing the UN Security Council and angering many of its closes allies. Annan openly opposed the invasion and slammed it as "illegal." The remarks sparked anger among his former backers in Washington.

The battles of Kofi Annan

Under investigation

Annan found himself mired in a corruption scandal over the Iraq Oil-for-Food program in 2004, with his son Kojo receiving fees from a company involved in the deal. The UN secretary-general was eventually cleared of wrongdoing. Still, questions remained about Annan's role in securing the deal for his son. Some observers believed the scandal was orchestrated by US diplomats.

The battles of Kofi Annan

Staying in the fight after leaving the UN

Annan completed his two five-year terms by 2006 and was succeeded by Ban Ki-moon. Still, the Ghanaian-born diplomat continued to be active on the world stage. Alongside Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, and other notable diplomats and activists, he founded The Elders, an NGO fighting for peace and human rights.

The battles of Kofi Annan

A lost bid for peace in Syria

Annan once again took center stage as the UN's first envoy to Syria in 2012, during the initial fighting of what was to become a long-running and bloody civil war. However, he resigned some five months later, frustrated with the big powers' failure to honor their commitments. "I lost my troops on the way to Damascus," he said.

The battles of Kofi Annan

Last mission in Myanmar

In 2016, Annan traveled to Myanmar to lead an advisory commission on the conflict with the Rohingya, sparking hectic protests among the nation's Buddhist majority. Eventually, the commission issued a report urging the government to fight poverty among the Rohingya and ensure their rights. In October 2017, Annan called on the UN to pressure Myanmar into taking back the exiled Rohingya.

Author: Darko Janjevic

In Ghana it's "who you know"

In Ghana, where an estimated 57 percent of the population is under the age of 25, young people have a hard time finding jobs. Nearly half of the country's rural youth have had no education, according to the 2015 Ghana Labour Force Report.

"It is very difficult, particularly if you didn't grow up in a wealthy family, you have to struggle your way through and in Ghana it's who you know," said Dennis Dogbe, 32.

Antonio agreed. "No one is saying it is not difficult, but if you are determined and focused, you will get there."

The many young people are entering local politics these days can learn from Annan, said Professor Kwasi Prempeh, a governance analyst and director of the Center for Democratic Development.

"Especially in our politics that tends to be aggressive, very rivalrous, very us versus them. I think he really teaches us the value of thinking of all of us as belonging to the same team, working together to build that commonwealth called Ghana," Prempeh said.

Leaders bid farewell to former UN chief Kofi Annan

The actual background of the Ghanaian who made history at home, in Africa and the world is not known to most youth, historian Herbert Appiah Ofori told DW.

Ampaneng, who hails from Annan's home region in Ghana, wants to be like him.

"Definitely, I am praying very hard to emulate his humbleness and to emulate his peaceful demeanor to achieve a very high position in future, maybe at the African Union, or basically on the Ghanaian political frontier," he said

Annan's funeral in the capital Accra was followed by a private burial service.